💧🔥

ARCHIE: “I’ve had feelin’s for him for a while. I think he felt th’same way. We used t’be really good friends way back before all this Team Magma ‘n’ Team Aqua shit. We cared about each other a lot. Still do. Jus’ this time around that care showed up as love instead of hate.”

He looks down at the snoozing Maxie in his lap.

“Four-Eyes over here’s pretty cute, ain’t he?”

maxie: “We’ve known each other for ages.”

archie: “We met back in the early 90s, damn.”

maxie: He sighs. “I suppose if I need some extra income I could go about getting teaching certification. Become a professor of environmental science.”

archie: “Oh hell, you aren’t gonna do that shit again, are you?”

maxie: “No, not at all, Archie. Why on earth would I try to pursue old goals?”

archie: “I jus’ worry sometimes.”

“Team Magma is still largely considered a criminal organization. While the denizens nearby Mt. Chimney-- like Lavaridge for example, have recognized our efforts to change. We need to have word of our new leaf reach Devon Co. before we can even hope for a partnership. Joining up with Team Magma as is would just be digging yourself into a PR hole.” Maxie sighed, continuing to work on spreadsheets of data collected the previous day.

AWEEE THANK U FRIEND!

maxie: “We offer paid tours of Mt. Chimney as well-- Tabitha heads that. Other funding comes from grants. We’re mostly looking for a way to protect Lavaridge from, well. Lava flows. We still have a long way to go from changing our negative reputation, but we hope we’re taking the right steps. Especially since our actions-- my actions-- definitely must have agitated the volcano.”

archie: “I AM LITERALLY AQUAMAN. AQUA. MAN. FUCKIN’ HELL.”

maxie: “That being said... Yes, we are going to see it.”

maxie: “People still give us dirty looks from time to time. We get it. Team Magma and Team Aqua were misguided. We’re trying better to do better.”

archie: “We chose Slateport because Maxie didn’t want to live in Mossdeep or Sootopolis. Can you believe he doesn’t like being too close to water? Sheesh.”

maxie: “You’re forgetting that I needed to live closer to my research, Archie–”

archie: “Yeah, yeah. Save it for someone you can hide your hatred of the beach from.”

maxie: “Still, thank you, random stranger. I hope we’ll be together for a long time as well.”

archie: “HOLY SHIT! YOU ARE SUCH A CUTE FUCKIN’ NERD. IT’S NOOGIE TIME, LOSER.”

maxie: “Oh, Arceus, Archie!”